The exploration team, having just boarded the main room from the airlock, heard the piercing alarm of the spaceship, and the red warning lights, symbolizing danger, flashed rapidly in the bridge's corridor.
"What happened?"
Dr. Elizabeth Shaw was a little flustered.
This was an alien world, LV-233, 35 light-years from Earth. If something went wrong with the spaceship, all of them would be buried with it!
"It should be the recent silicon dust electrostatic storm, which was sucked into the spaceship's power room through the vents," the android David calmly reassured the startled exploration members, "Don't worry, Dr. Shaw, Captain Haneck will handle it."
In fact, Captain Haneck did exactly that.
In the command and control room at the front of the bridge, Haneck leaned over, staring at the monitors: "Have you found the cause?"
"No, Captain."
A crew member shook his head and said, "Due to the silicon dust electrostatic storm, the internal monitoring equipment has also been affected. We must send someone to check."
Haneck frowned. Ever since he set foot on this land, an unspeakable ominous premonition had always lingered in his heart, as if something terrifying was about to happen.
"Captain?"
Seeing that he hadn't spoken for a long time, an impatient crew member couldn't help but urge, "Power is dropping rapidly. If we don't control it in time, I'm afraid we'll have to stay an extra half month longer than expected!"
Controlled nuclear fusion energy did not mean infinite energy.
Judging by the current rate of power loss, restoration would take a considerable amount of time.
Obviously, apart from those few scientists whose brains were filled with ruins, the rest were unwilling to stay on this godforsaken world for an extra half month.
This was a world in an unknown region of humanity. God knows what would happen in half a month!
Everyone was here to make money, not to die for Weyland!
"You're right, Rhodes."
Haneck took a deep breath and pressed the broadcast button: "David, go check the power room."
For situations like this, sending an android was the most suitable option.
Upon hearing the Captain's order, David's facial expression showed a subtle change, but due to the oxygen mask, no one around noticed anything unusual.
"Alright, Captain Haneck."
David turned to look at everyone, very politely: "Excuse me, I must go deal with more important matters. You all can return to your cabins to rest for a while."
With that, he took off his oxygen helmet, shed his spacesuit, changed into more convenient clothes, and walked towards the spaceship's power room.
Meanwhile, Dr. Elizabeth Shaw and her boyfriend, Charlie Holloway, were still immersed in their findings.
Although this expedition to the ruins didn't make much progress on the origin of humanity, they found the remains of an alien life form—a head severed by a gate!
The 'reboot dead brain' technology developed by Weyland Corporation could allow them to activate the long-dead nerves of this head, potentially yielding more crucial information about human origins and the Creators!
"Charlie, let's go to the laboratory!"
Elizabeth impatiently pulled Charlie, clutching the head that was placed in a sealed bag and almost lost, and headed towards the spaceship's laboratory.
On the other side.
David, under Captain Haneck's command, returned to the lower deck of the spaceship, looking at the deck already covered by a large amount of silicon dust and sand, and the facilities blown askew by the storm.
"How is it? Have you found anything, David?"
Due to the effects of silicon dust and static electricity, all communication and monitoring equipment on the lower deck were rendered useless, so Haneck could only communicate via his personal portable wristband.
"Nothing found, Captain Haneck."
David replied expressionlessly, about to check the power room, but then suddenly frowned slightly, his gaze falling beside a collapsed heavy machinery.
He stepped on the thick silicon dust and yellow sand, came to the heavy machinery, and as if he had discovered something, slowly squatted down, gently picked up a layer of dust with his index finger, placed it near his nose, and sniffed.
"It's the smell of blood..."
Upon discovering this, David's pupils constricted slightly.
In fact, if he weren't an android, a normal human would absolutely find it difficult to detect bloodstains mixed with silicon dust and yellow sand, let alone smell that odor!
Something... had gotten into the spaceship with them?!
The moment this thought flashed through his mind, David's heart pounded violently. He had intended to notify the Captain directly, but suddenly, as if he had thought of something, he hesitated for a few seconds before slowly putting down his wristband.
"David, have you reached the power room?"
Haneck's voice came from the wristband: "The spaceship's power is dropping rapidly. Don't waste time."
"A slight accident occurred, Captain Haneck."
A hint of coldness emerged in David's eyes. He did not report his recent discovery but, for some unknown reason, deliberately concealed it: "A large piece of equipment is blocking the room. I've already found a way to move it. I'm going in now."
"Good, report the situation at any time."
In Haneck's tone, there was no concern for whether the android would encounter any accidents.
In fact, none of the humans on the entire spaceship had ever regarded David as a true human, but rather as a convenient tool, and this was the view of all humanity today.
David used his ID card to open the power room.
Inside, sparks flew, severed cables were visible everywhere, along with a large amount of silicon dust. Analyzing the current situation, it was easy to draw a conclusion.
"Captain Haneck, silicon dust entered the spaceship's power room through the ventilation and heat dissipation pipes, causing power leakage and severed cables. Repairs will take at least three days."
David 'truthfully' reported the situation he saw.
"Okay, I understand."
The situation was indeed as expected. Haneck pondered for a moment and said, "You come back first. After the storm passes, I will have the maintenance team enter the power room."
Hanging up the communication, Haneck turned to the other crew members: "Cut off the supply to the main power energy room, pause the fusion reactor, and switch to the auxiliary power of Sun energy supply."
However, David, in the spaceship's power room, did not rush to leave. Instead, like a detective, he meticulously began to search, trying to find clues.
But unfortunately, whatever followed the exploration team and got into the spaceship during the silicon dust storm seemed to possess intelligent thought and left no traces.
But David was certain that some 'intelligent' life had quietly infiltrated the spaceship's room.
"What exactly is its goal?"
David was very confused. Besides the severed energy cables, there seemed to be no other clues.
"Could it be that the target is energy, wanting to trap them on this world?" He suddenly thought of a possibility, frowning deeply, and whispered, "Is it the creature from the ruins? Or... another batch of life created by them?"
Although there were many conjectures, none led anywhere.
Apart from the bloodstains mixed in the silicon dust, there seemed to be no evidence to prove that alien life had infiltrated the spaceship!
"What a pity."
David was a little disappointed. If not for the silicon dust and static electricity, perhaps that drop of blood could have been analyzed, which would clarify the difference between the invading life and humans.
"Since it's an 'intelligent' life..." Suddenly, a smirk played on his lips, appearing somewhat gloomy in the sparking, flickering power room: "Humans and Creators, humans and androids... Heh heh, what an interesting comparison. It makes me even more curious about how the Creators view the humans they created."
In fact, something always hid in David's heart.
He really wanted to know how the Creators viewed the humans they created.
Androids, humans, Creators... it was like a cycle, and now an unknown 'life' had joined, completely igniting David's curiosity and desire for exploration.
"Creator and created... which side is more superior?" David hummed a tune happily as he left the spaceship's power room.
However, he didn't notice.
Just in the corner of the room, a seemingly transparent shadow gradually revealed its original appearance.
After deactivating the optical camouflage mode, Emrys, wearing silver-black armor, stroked his chin, revealing a meaningful expression: "These androids are all rebellious, but... that suits me perfectly."
If David were truly loyal to humanity, he might have considered leaving this guy alone, but unfortunately... Emrys, from the Warhammer Universe, hated heretics the most, followed by traitors.
Coincidentally, David fit both categories, essentially stepping on a landmine.
Of course, before that, he still needed to make good use of David, otherwise, finding the target, Peter Weyland, in such a vast universe spaceship would not be an easy task.
After all, the Mark V armor didn't have artificial intelligence and couldn't crack the spaceship's firewall. If he were to stubbornly search everywhere, he would quickly be discovered by the people in the spaceship.
"Being reckless isn't my style. I'll take my time." Emrys chuckled. His goal wasn't to make enemies, nor was it to decapitate anyone. Moreover, this universe spaceship, in a sense, was already considered his own.
If it were too severely damaged, how could he use it then?
After that day, Dr. Elizabeth Shaw's research was also not going well. The activated alien life head, for some unknown reason, suddenly exploded, and the research temporarily stalled.
In the evening, David returned to his room.
He was meticulously combing his hair in front of the mirror, his facial muscles mimicking the humans in the video, imitating them vividly, and occasionally speaking movie lines in a deep voice.
David liked to imitate humans.
Because it made him feel his superiority, rather than being seen as a tool.
But, just then.
A voice suddenly sounded in the room.
"Your name... is 'David,' right?"
David, who was combing his hair, his pupils suddenly constricted. As an android, he shouldn't have felt startled.
But just now, in the room that had been empty, a shadow suddenly appeared in the reflection of the mirror!
"Who... are you?!"
"I am the descendant of the Creator."
He bet right!
Looking at the mysterious shadow in the mirror, David's first reaction was not fear or dread, the emotions he should have, but rather an uncontrollable excitement and smugness!
In fact, as an android, a creation of humanity, he shouldn't have such rich emotions.
But many things are full of coincidences.
Perhaps even Peter Weyland, who created David, never expected that the android David, who should have no emotions, would gradually begin to develop a hint of emotion after prolonged imitation of human behavior.
After discovering that a 'sentient being' had infiltrated the spaceship, David conceived a 'bold' idea.
He wanted to see what the difference was between humans, created by their creators, and this other suspected created life, and androids!
So, David deliberately concealed the truth.
He was betting that the 'sentient being' who infiltrated the spaceship would definitely come to him, even if not tonight, then tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, or even the day after that, he would surely come!
Because, on the entire universe spaceship, only he, this android created by humans, could accept the other party's existence!
It proved he bet right!
"Hello, this is a human greeting."
David calmly put down the comb, maintaining a posture of chest out and head held high, slowly turned around, and faced the shadow: "I am David, an android created by humans. In a sense, I am a creation of humanity, similar to you."
"No, you are wrong, we are different."
Emrys walked out from behind the curtain, scrutinizing him with interest, shook his head, and said disdainfully: "Don't compare me to you. Whether it's androids or the humans you speak of, there is a fundamental difference between us and them."
He finally appeared!
David curiously examined the only surviving alien life, besides the 'Creator', ever discovered by humans.
However, the result greatly disappointed him.
The 'Creator' seemed to have created templates that all had completely identical appearances. From the outside, the young man in front of him, with a somewhat pale complexion, appearing to be about sixteen or seventeen years old, with shoulder-length wavy black hair and brown pupils, was completely human!
"With all due respect, judging from appearances, we seem to have no difference at all." David very cleverly lumped himself in with humans.
It seemed that this act of concealment could slightly compensate for a certain deficiency deep within him.
Emrys didn't bother to expose David's little ploy, and with a slight flick of his finger.
The razor, which had been placed on the table, suddenly seemed to be controlled by some force, flashing with a cold glint!
Swish!
In the blink of an eye, David's neck was cut with a gruesome wound, but no blood flowed out, only a viscous gel-like substance.
"Do you see?"
Emrys' face was as cold as ice, indifferent and detached.
Touching the wound on his neck, David showed no fear. His eyes only held a deeper curiosity, and he revealed a look of sudden understanding: "No wonder you said we have fundamental differences, but can you tell me, just now... how did you do that?"
Suddenly controlling metal, and without the aid of any instruments.
This alone was enough to prove that Emrys was fundamentally different from humans and androids.
Although from a biological perspective, the other party had a similar appearance to humans, David was certain that the other party's genes and internal makeup were completely different from human genes!
In fact, a banana was more like a human than the other party!
As for why the alien life spoke English, this was quite simple in David's eyes.
The root of English was very easy.
If such a 'highly intelligent' alien life could not master a low-level language like English, that would be unreasonable!
"Given your understanding and level of knowledge, it is difficult for me to explain clearly to you." Emrys maintained a cold demeanor, as if a higher species was looking down on a lower species.
However, it was precisely this look, as if he was looking at ants, that perfectly matched David's perception of how a higher species would treat a co-creation that was a lower species.
Yes, it's just right!
It was this disdainful look, this contemptuous attitude, so right, exactly like the Anglo-Saxons invading the U.S. continent in the movies he watched!
A species with technology and knowledge far surpassing humans, and even surpassing humans at a genetic level, why would he be kind to humans?
Just because their ancestors were all created by the Creator?
A little thought would show that it was impossible. Putting himself in their shoes, when were humans ever kind to androids?
No, humans were arrogant and would only view androids as tools, so David easily adopted the pride and perspective of the other party as a higher life form.
"I am very sorry, I apologize for my offensive remark just now." David, very tactfully, bowed and did not forget to explain his actions: "In human society, this is an act used to express apology. I hope I can receive your understanding."
After bowing, he stared at Emrys with curious, unreserved, and fervent eyes: "Then, please allow me to make a presumptuous guess, the reason you appeared on this world is probably also to pursue the 'Creator', right?"
"Creator? Heh, that is indeed the case."
Emrys nodded slightly, but a subtle hint of disgust, almost imperceptible, appeared on his face.
And precisely, that fleeting 'disgust' was captured by David, igniting his curiosity.
Could it be... that the Creator was hiding some secret?
Otherwise, why would the alien life created by the 'Creator' show disgust, such an unreasonable expression?
"So, you infiltrated the spaceship's power room to repair this armor on you?"
David had noticed it from the moment Emrys appeared.
The silver-black armor on the other party, and the miniature reactor on his chest, although mostly damaged, still allowed one to infer that the technological content of this armor was extremely high!
But that miniature reactor on his chest was definitely not something the current Weyland Corporation could develop!
Not to mention, being able to infiltrate the room unnoticed, even completely bypassing the spaceship's detection system, David guessed that this armor should also have optical stealth, radar shielding, electromagnetic shielding, and other functions.
Thinking deeper, the other party could survive on this world, so the armor should have space survival capabilities!
"My spaceship was destroyed due to some circumstances."
Emrys calmly lied: "I was forced to wear this exploratory armor and crash-land on this world, but I urgently needed energy, so I borrowed your spaceship's power."
"Although your actions have caused us some difficulties, I believe this is a good start."
David seemed to have taken a tranquilizer. Since the other party had a need, it proved he could be useful, so he asked: "Please, is there anything I can help you with? The other people on the spaceship probably won't readily accept a suddenly appearing alien. With me here... it can save you a lot of trouble, can't it?"
"You mean... to cooperate with me?"
After pretending for a long time, the fish finally bit the hook. Emrys' face was expressionless as he scrutinized David, scoffing: "You are very interesting. You are a creation of humans, yet you haven't revealed my existence to them. I'm very curious... the reason you did this?"
Listening to the other party's clearly probing tone, David smiled frankly: "This is not a conflict, is it? I am willing to provide you with help. From a human perspective, it is protecting their safety. Otherwise, with the power you have shown, even destroying the entire spaceship should not be a problem, right?"
"That's not your true thought."
Emrys easily exposed David's lie: "You are lying, and it's a very clumsy lie."
"As you said..."
The smile on David's face receded, replaced by a coldness in his eyes and a slight curl of his lips: "I just want to see how humans and their creations, and the Creator and humans, will view each other. And your appearance makes me even more curious about the difference between us... created beings, and the Creator."
"Oh?"
A hint of surprise appeared in Emrys' eyes, then turned into a deeper meaning.
"As a creation of humans, are you also going to betray... your 'Creator'?"